Tag Archive | doula lower mainland

I am absolutely ecstatic to announce that I had my fourth kid, and 2nd daughter in January 2015. She was welcomed into the world by her older brothers and sister with so much love.

Of course as a doula and prenatal teacher, I was very interested in putting all the skills I teach in my classes to good use in my own labour.

First of all, right from the beginning of my pregnancy, I wanted to choose the best health care provider that would be a good fit with my birth preferences. This is one of the most important things I tell my clients that will affect the kind of birth you have. Don’t just choose any random maternity care provider. Find the ones who best fit with the kind of person you are, and the kind of birth you want.

Secondly, birth can be unpredictable, so when things don’t follow the textbook version of labour, you have to make informed decisions regarding what to do. There are ALWAYS options. When my water broke and my labour didn’t start for over 24 hours, it was stressful because, of course, as a mom, you naturally worry. But I kept reviewing my options and the potential risks of all the options available and kept discussing things with my midwives. Just to be clear, I felt totally fine with having any medical intervention that was clearly necessary and helpful, but I also know when interventions are not entirely necessary. There are always risks to both sides – having a medical intervention or declining it. In my situation I had the options of going to the hospital to start an induction, using non-medical ways of starting labour (herbs/ acupuncture etc which can be highly effective), or simply waiting it out. That’s another reason moms love having a doula with them in pregnancy and labour – if unexpected situations arrive, the doula can often talk moms through the decision making process, empowering them with a range of information on options so that moms can make an informed choice and feel good about it.

I knew the risks and possible outcomes of all scenarios and decided to take various herbs to get labour started. I also know that emotions and ’emotional blockages’ can have a huge impact on labour. So with the help of my doula friend, I worked through any deep seated emotions I was having that could have been blocking my labour from starting. That was EXTREMELY helpful because after I realized a huge emotional block I was holding, and then let it go, my labour started soon after.

Thirdly, of course, is all the pain coping strategies I teach. Once labour started, the first half was the easy part. The key for that is to keep focussing on staying completely relaxed. Holding on to any tension or resistance will cause pain. I was able to feel no pain at all for the first half of the labour by breathing out all the pressure waves and making a low toning sound. You can try it now, just let yourself sigh with a deep sound. You naturally let all your tension go and you feel more grounded. Remember fear in labour = adrenaline = pain = more fear = more pain. You have to keep the adrenaline out of the equation in labour and keep deep breathing away any tension or pressure you feel building up. Pay attention to your body.

As contractions intensified, I moved around, feeling for whatever positions felt more comfortable. Sitting, squating, standing, lunging, leaning forward on furniture, sitting backwards on the couch, swaying my hips etc. I was chatting with my doula, friend, mom, and midwives in between contractions. Eventually, I felt like leaving the living room and going up to my bedroom. In labour, women naturally experience a going within. They feel like they are going deeper and deeper inside themselves as labour progresses. A woman starts using more of her primitive, instinctual brain and less of the cerebral cortex. It is the instinctual part of the brain which controls the natural process of labour. Labour flows more smoothly when a woman is undisturbed so she can smoothly go deep within herself. Any distractions that pull a woman out of this state of mind will slow down the labour and also create unnecessary pain sensations. Bright lights, too much talking, asking questions, talking about time (which is a cerebral concept), telling a woman what to do so she can’t listen to her own body’s instincts, disturbances like frequent blood pressure checks, vaginal exams etc. will all take a woman away from her “labour land” state of mind. And to the labouring woman, this feels quite irritating.

I told my midwives that I wanted a very hands off approach to my birth. I didn’t want any unnecessary disturbances such as internal dilation checks or them telling me what to do. But having them there in the background helped me feel safe in the rare situation where medical help might be needed. It is important for birthing moms to feel safe and supported. That will lead to a smooth labour process. Anything that makes them feel worry, fear or anxiety will cause a slowing down of the labour process, or even complications.

Once I got to my bedroom, the lights were off with just a dim light on in the bathroom. My older daughter had woken up by this point and she lit some candles to add to the mood of the room. My mom made sure the music playlist I had put together for the birth was still playing. I had complied a series of songs that I found both inspiring and relaxing. I love music and I find it helps me set the tone for focusing on feeling good. In labour, you want to take your attention off the pain sensations and replace them with anything that makes you feel good. My doula was massaging my sacrum while holding a hot pack on my lower back. My husband rubbed my back and shoulders. That all felt really good. By this point, I was not feeling zero pain, like in the earlier part of the labour, but all these things helped take the edge off the intensity of contractions so they were completely manageable.

People often tell me that I’m brave to have a homebirth. Nothing could be further from the truth. The truth is, in terms of pain management, homebirth is often easier to manage because I feel more comfortable at home and there are so much fewer disturbances to my instinctual state of being. In terms of safety, solid evidence shows that homebirth is as safe, if not safer, than hospital birth, as long as it’s a healthy pregnancy, there are trained care providers in attendance, and a hospital is less than an hour’s drive away if there is a need to transfer. Here in the lower mainland, BC, Canada, we are so lucky to have a fantastic midwifery system that functions relatively smoothly at home or hospital. If you feel more comfortable having a homebirth, definitely go for it, or at least look into it. If you feel safer and more comfortable in a hospital, then hospital is the place for you. Birthing moms should be in the place that is more conducive to them feeling safe and supported. You have to know yourself, and know what you prefer. It doesn’t matter what anybody else does. It only matters what kind of experience you want and how you’re going to get it.

Eventually, my contractions got pretty strong and I wondered if getting in the bathtub with warm water would help. I wasn’t particularly planning a waterbirth, but I always keep my options open. The warm water does take the edge of, but of course, labour is still a pretty intense and powerful process. At one point I joked with my midwife, “So you brought an epidural with you, didn’t you?”

“Yeah, it’s just in my back pocket,” she smiled.

“Oh good. I wouldn’t want to be crazy enough to have a natural birth.” 🙂

(Just in case you didn’t know, you can’t have an epidural or any other drugs at a homebirth because of the risk those things entail.)

I remember, through one contraction I just swore the whole way. Then for the next one I struggled to remember what the purpose of all the pain was. Oh yeah, to open the cervix and let the baby out. So I started chanting “Open, open…” through the whole contraction, while visualizing my cervix opening fully, quickly and easily. Soon after that I started to feel worried. I had the presence of mind to remind myself that this was a normal emotion during transition (the last bit of the dilation phase before the pushing phase). I was worried that this would go on forever and the baby would never come out. It’s common to have this rush of irrational feelings in transition, and a doula often reassures a labouring mom that this is a natural part of the process and it’s good sign that means things are progressing. It is important for the mom to go back to her state of feeling safe and relaxed instead of letting the worry and the adrenaline intensify. Again, smooth, fast and instinctual pushing phase vs. prolonged and worried pushing.

I soon began to feel “pushy”, meaning I felt like pushing a little at the peak of each contraction. I let the midwives know so they could get ready and everyone else too. My younger two kids were woken up so they could be present for the birth. I tried different positions in the tub – on my back, side, hands and knees, until I found the most comfortable position for myself, which just happened to be squatting facing the width of the tub instead of lengthwise so my feet could push against the side while my back rested on the other side.

Pushing contractions feel different than dilation contractions because you’re not just trying to relax through each one. You’re actually actively pushing with each one. And in a drug free birth, you can feel the powerful force of your body pushing instinctively. It’s not something you can stop. It’s like one mom said, it feels like you’re body is just vomiting the baby out. It’s so strong and so involuntary. In a drug free birth, no one has to tell the mom how to push. Her body just does it. Pushing feels way more fun than the dilation phase before it. I felt very powerful.

Once the baby’s head was low enough in my pelvis, I could feel it. It was definitely a strange sensation and I exclaimed to all the 10 people who, by now had piled into my bathroom, “It feels like a bowling ball.” I put my finger in and felt the top of the baby’s head less than an inch away. A couple more pushes later and I could feel her head crowning. This feels like a burning sensation as the perineum stretches around the baby’s head. I expected this part to take a while, as it can take several pushes to slowly push the head out. But my body just kept going and in one push she went from completely inside to completely out. I had planned to catch her myself if possible, but she came so fast. No one was quite ready for that. Luckily my husband was speedy quick in catching her and lifting her out of the water and onto my tummy. She was happy and content sitting on my tummy, looking around.

We hadn’t found out the gender, so it was very exciting to look down and see it was a girl. My daughter finally got the sister she had been hoping for for so long. Here’s the picture that captures the sheer intensity of emotions of that moment right after birth – relief that it’s over, exuberance over the new person you are meeting, and for me the shock of how fast she came out and surprise that I got the girl I wanted.

It was a lovely family experience to have all my kids there, my mom, sister-in-law and friend. My husband caught the baby, my daughter took the photos, my older son cut the cord and my younger son helped the midwife weigh the baby. My kids will all grow up knowing that birth is just a normal, natural and safe part of life. Not something to fear. By the way, I wanted to wait till after the placenta was out to cut the cord, or at least until the blood in the placenta had finished pumping to the baby, instead of cutting the cord immediately. This is so that she can get her full blood volume and have a gentle transition to life on the outside.

Once I got out of the tub and walked back to my bed, I birthed the placenta and breastfed my baby before letting everyone else have her for some cuddles. My mom made me a nutritious, yummy smoothie with a tiny piece of placenta blended in. Having a bit of placenta reduces the risk of postpartum hemorrhage.

It was a lovely morning. I stayed in bed all day snuggling my new sweetheart. And the other kids were just over the moon excited with their tiny sister. Plus they got to take a day off school. 🙂

Just another of the many articles and videos on how useful it is to have a doula at your birth.

“Looking for a way to decrease the length of your labour, reduce your need for pain medication, decrease your chances of needing a forceps delivery or a Caesarean, and leave you feeling satisfied about your birth experience? What you need is a doula—the birthing world’s equivalent of a fairy godmother.

Think I’m exaggerating? Consider the evidence for yourself. There’s a growing body of research proving that doulas (experienced non-medical female companions who provide continuous labour support) can help to improve the birth and postpartum outcomes for both mother and baby…“

Doulas are a relatively new and growing profession, although the roots of it stretch back to the beginning of humankind. Since women have been giving birth, other women have attended to the mom in labor, providing physical and emotional support so that she can get through labor feeling calmer. In the past, the role of the midwife and the doula was the same.

Now the differences in the roles are more clearly defined, although there is some overlap. Midwives are responsible for medical tasks and for catching the baby, while doulas focus on the emotional and comfort needs of the mom. Also they provide continuous labor support, from the beginning of active labor in the home through to birth and breastfeeding. Nurses, midwives and doctors may have other moms to attend to and have other technical tasks to do.

The research by Klaus and Kennel reveals something very interesting – that women have easier labors when someone is giving them undivided attention. The thing is, this is difficult for people to wrap their minds around. It is difficult for most people to understand how a doula can help them in labor. Those who do, are glad they did hire a doula and can`t imagine how other women manage through without one. There is a quote that says, “If a doula were a drug, it would be unethical not to use one.“ I think in the future, the majority of women who want a natural birth will automatically hire a doula.

Even in the animal world, there are doulas. Most animals like to birth in complete privacy, but some social animals don`t labor alone. They need other females around them. Dolphin females swim around the dolphin mom in labor, nuzzling her with their noses. Elephants as well, which are highly intelligent and social animals need other females around, stroking them with their noses.

There was an elephant in a zoo who was in labor. The zookeepers moved her to another enclosure because they thought the other elephants would disturb her or the baby. What they found was that when she was separated, she went into distress, stomping around and wailing, banging herself on the fence. The zookeepers called another zoo that had experience with elephant birth. They said to put the elephant back with the other females. When she went back, her elephant doula friends stroked her with their noses and she immediately calmed down and had her baby smoothly.

Humans can learn from other social mammals because we have forgotten how the natural process of birth works.

Where I am, here in Surrey, BC, I hear some of the more common reasons women don`t hire a doula, even though they want a natural birth. One is that they think it will be too expensive. They`re usually shocked when they find out how reasonable rates are considering the time and benefit. Doulas are committed to helping all moms who want a doula. We don`t believe finances should be a reason not to have one. Some doulas, especially newer ones, even volunteer their services for moms who cannot afford even a basic fee. To find volunteer doulas go to BC Doula Services Association.

Another reason is that they feel that they have enough support because they either have a midwife, or have family support. Those are awesome, however, the role of a doula is quite different. I know from my own experience at the birth of my first child, the midwife is not going to be with you all through labor. She has other things to attend to, and is responsible for all the medical tasks.

Family or friends are great supports, but they don`t have the training, and the experience of learning from hundreds of other births what to do in different situations. The doula does not replace husbands or family, because they are the ones you have a relationship with, but they bring so much more knowledge and skills. Doulas involve the dad`s and other family members and teach them comfort measures that help the mom. Dad`s are always glad to have a doula there so the pressure to know and do everything is taken off him.

Do you have a story or a question about doulas? If so, I`d love to hear your comments.

For more info about hiring a doula in Surrey, Langley or anywhere in the Lower Mainland, BC, call 604 809 3288 or email info@prenataljourney.ca

The Prenatal Classes are all set and ready for expecting parents in the Langley, Surrey area. Evening classes for first-time parents will begin Tuesday October 25th 2011 in Willoughby, Langley.

Classes promise to be pretty exciting and extremely useful for parents preparing for birth and new parenthood who want to understand how to have a positive experience. A lot of people have told me they’re not sure if they should take prenatal classes because they’re not sure if they will really be useful. The media has done a good job of portraying prenatal classes as a place where round crabby women learn to breathe while saying, “hoo-hoo hee-hee.” I assure you there’s a lot more to preparing for birth and parenthood than hoo-hoo heeing. Actually hooing and heeing is not even in our syllabus.

Our classes at The Prenatal Journey are not simply a biology class either. Memorizing a bunch of facts is NOT going to help you get through labor. In fact, that will most likely stress parents-to-be out more and undermine their confidence in their own abilities.Our classes are hands-on, interactive and totally enlightening. We have never had any clients say they didn’t learn so much that was actually useful. Clients always feel that all their questions are answered, and their fears transformed into confidence.

“You didn’t just teach us what to EXPECT when expecting. You taught us what to DO!”

– Jenny and Tom, Surrey, BC.Comparing their experience in the Refresher Class for second pregnancy to previous experience in other prenatal class with first pregnancy.

You can go to Prenatal Classes for info about classes and prenatal course content.

Now is the perfect time to register for classes. Because this is the first time Kaurina Danu and Jamie Taylor are collaborating, we’re offering our Introductory price of $165 for First-time Parent evening and weekend classes, and $100 for Refresher classes. This price won’t last long. Most expecting couples attend classes in their last trimester, but even if you’re in your first or second trimester, you can place a deposit now for future classes to get the introductory price.

I’ve also had a lot of people, since learning about the classes, find out about and register for Doula Services. They can’t believe how much value they’re getting for such an affordable price. It’s been so rewarding being there for people at such an important moment in their lives, making the whole experience easier and so full of love, instead of stress.

If you have any questions feel free to call 604 809 3288 or 778 908 7636. If you have any friends who are expecting, let them know about us so they can have an easier time too!